Dialogue Tags - Ways and Means

[Graeme]

Just throwing this out there.

There is a school of thought whereby dialog tags should mostly be 'said,' and very little else.

There is another school of thought whereby a dialogue tag can be any verb associated with saying something.

Noting that stage directions are a non-verbal action associated with a piece of dialogue.

I.e.

Jill said, "Blah, blah, blah."
Jack thumped the table. "Blah!"
"Blah?" Bob said.

vs

Jill suggested, "Blah, blah, blah."
Jack thumped the table. "Blah!"
"Blah?" Bob asked.

Pros? Cons? Thoughts?

[J.]

Why limit yourself?

Reeking of Sterno and sweat, he slurred, "Dat's wot she sed" around his lolling tongue.

Her words slowly slithering to him with the smoke from her cigarette, "Do I look innocent?"

[Graeme]

Chuckle.

[J.]

English is such a varied language, why let its possibilities go to waste?

A tired mother can sigh, "What did your father say?"

A cheating spouse can sputter, "You're home early!"

A young woman holding her stillborn infant can wail, "Why?"

And a frustrated forum poster can growl, "I will castrate the SOB who came up with autocorrect."

How much would be lost from these examples by changing the word before the quote in each to "said"?

[Graeme]

That is pretty much my argument.

[Ian]

I've heard this advice also, and I think there's a grain of truth in it.

"Said" tags are virtually invisible, so when all you want to do is identify the speaker, that's a good one to use. BTW I personally classify "asked" in the same category when it's a question.

I also subscribe to the thinking that an action instead is useful to bypass the dialogue tag altogether.

And, I'm not averse to using other tags where it adds something to the narrative. If someone is whispering, say they whispered. Ditto yelled, shouted, muttered, murmured etc. If the word is appropriate, use it. That's what it's there for.

I think the advice came about because some writers (and I blame school English lessons for this, where they encourage you to use every colorful technique possible) try to use anything but boring old "said". In other words, they are not motivated by using the right word in the right way, their only goal is to use a more "colorful" word at every opportunity. The result is usually an embarrassing mess.

So IMO the rule is to use the different approaches in moderation, and with full awareness of what you're doing and why.

[Philip]

I try to use said when its a multi-personal dialogue and not obvious. When it's a two way exchange it feels redundant and I try to add colour only where I want to describe an expression, gasped, shouted, cried etc.

[Ian]

If it is a two-way exchange, I think it is worth giving the occasional reminder of who is saying what, especially if the reader cannot easily tell from specific character aspects, but yes, I agree that apart from the odd reminder, just let the conversation continue unimpeded.

[Jody]

I agree with Philip. Honestly, I find it annoying when author constantly think of creative descriptors just to keep it “interesting.” If someone said something, just say “said.”

[Graeme]

In my most recent book, (340pgs, 145K words) I have 146 instances of 'said.'

I use stage directions quite a lot, but for dialog tags I've also used the following.

asked,
queried,
inquired,
called,
snorted, (derisively).
whispered,
stammered,
snapped,
urged,
stated,
directed,
ordered,
commanded,
replied,
acknowledged,
answered,
offered,
remarked
implored,
pleaded
muttered,
murmured,
blurted,
enthused,
yelled,
shouted,
screamed,
promised,
cajoled,
invited,

And so on, i.e. any verb associated with the act of speech can legitimately be added in. However,

Avoid over use.
Make sure the verb matches the dialog.
Sometimes 'said,' is the right word.
Follow other standard dialogue rules wrt two characters talking - you may simply have a list of statements, etc.

Qualified with adverbs, dryly, sardonically, derisively, quietly, softly, etc

Thoughts?

[Ian]

Graeme wrote: "In my most recent book, (340pgs, 145K words) I have 146 instances of 'said.'

I use stage directions quite a lot, but for dialog tags I've also used the following.

asked,
queried,
inquired,
calle..."

Ah, the use of adverbs. There are some who say, "Delete all adverbs!" THE LAW SAYS SO. Actually, those same people may not know what an adverb is, let alone have a good reason not to use them. The same people are very happy to add colour to nouns by using lots of adjectives, and all an adverb does is add colour to a verb. The use in tags is interesting because there is a temptation to overuse them, yet those who don't want them frequently add an adverbial phrase and think that is an improvement.

Anyway, my view. I try not to use them with tags unless there is a need, and it is not obvious. Thus to add, "he said ironically" should be silly - if the reader cannot see the irony without being told, the text is poor. But I also think that tags themselves should be deleted unless they are important to let the reader know who is speaking, because they slow the momentum of the conversation. The adverb adds to that slowing. On the other hand, if something can be said such that it could be said in different ways, then I see no harm in the judicious use of the adverb.

[J.J.]

Rules are good guideposts to make you take a hard look at your work, but the problem with rules is that for every rule out there, there's probably a thousand or more famous and or successful books out there breaking that rule.

[Ian]

I think the key about breaking rules in writing is, if you know why you are doing it, no problem. If you have done it without knowing, not so good.

[Lizzie]

Ian wrote: "...But I also think that tags themselves should be deleted unless they are important to let the reader know who is speaking, because they slow the momentum of the conversation...."

Which is why as a reader my mind does not even register them. I read the words that matter, so I haven't even a clue if authors are using "said" or "shouted", let alone the adverbs. My brain seems to know when they are important to the story without consciously having to think about it.

[Al "Tank"]

Here's a good article on dialog tags: https://alkalarediting.wordpress.com/...

Al Philipson wrote an entire novel without dialog tags just to prove that it could be done -- and it worked quite well. Last Train from Earth: Holy Christian Empire 2206 (at least I enjoyed it and I didn't notice the absence of the tags).